Senator Ndume lamented over the tight sitting position, poor sound system and unavailability of a clock in the chamber. “This is not a Chamber, this looks like a conference hall” – Ndume laments over poor condition of Senate chamber...READ FULL ARTICLE

Senator Ali Ndume The Chief Whip of the Senate, Senator Ali Ndume (APC, Borno South) has rejected the arrangements of the Senate Chamber.

Ndume during Tuesday’s plenary lamented over the poor condition of the Chamber which according to him is not a chamber but similar to a conference hall.

He called for an urgent need to address the poor audio system, sitting arrangements and the provision of a clock in the chamber.

“Senators are supposed to be heard here, we need to correct this, we need to change so many things. If you want to stand up you have to use strategy, even to sit down. Before, the seats were better. The chamber is echoing.

“There is no voting device here. If we are to vote electronically, the facilities are not here but previously we had that. No clock for Senators to see the time,” he lamented.

In response to Ndume’s observation, the President of the Senate, Godswill Akpabio explained that on the seating arrangement, 99% progress has been made.

He further stated that it is not the project of the 10th Senate but the 9th, adding that the members of the Senate will discuss in detail about the issue later due to the number of things slated on the order paper.

OrderPaper recalls that the Senate had resolved to use its refurbished chamber, two years after renovation began on it.

The Senate however resumed from its 6-week recess last Tuesday with a rowdy session over the sitting arrangements of Senators. The rowdy session began with a heated debate between Senators Danjuma Goje (PDP, Gombe Central), and Sahabi Yau (PDP, Zamfara North).

The senators complained to the Majority Leader, Opeyemi Bamidele (APC, Ekiti Central) about their = seats, expressing dissatisfaction with their allocation.…READ FULL ARTICLE